SHOTGUNS & PICKUP TRUCKS

by George AllenSeptember 19, 2010

‘SHOTGUNS & PICKUP TRUCKS’

19th Networking Roundtable Dishes Out Tough Love, $20 bills for $10 bills, and Much Much More! Also; researching the ALLEN REPORT, & another National State of the Asset Class (‘NSAC’) Caucus Is Coming Your Way….

I.

Facing a record number of landlease (nee manufactured home) community owners/operators from 26 states, and following the Pledge of Allegiance to the American flag, then individual introductions of nearly 200 attendees, Green Courte Partners founder and chairman Randy Rowe took the floor to dish out five specific courses of tough love to the HUD Code manufactured housing industry!

The theme of his presentation? ‘What the Manufactured Housing Industry Must Do to Regain National Housing Market Share’. This is Randy’s five point foci:

Better Warranties and Customer Service

Chattel Financing Issues

Economic Security for Our Customers

Multiple Listing Service(s)

National Marketing (Image) Effort

For a detailed presentation of Randy Rowe’s timely and sobering talk; along with a topic by topic, and speaker by speaker review of all two dozen subjects at this year’s Networking Roundtable in Phoenix, AZ., read the October issue of the Allen Letter professional journal. Therein you’ll also learn, how one firm freely exchanged $20 bills for $10 bills as part of their water sub metering presentation; and, why demographers characterize a portion of our market as being ‘shotgun and pickup truck’ customers.

In the meantime, here’s a sampling of email remarks (slightly edited for this blog) that awaited me when I returned home from Phoenix on Saturday:

“While many attendees of (past) Roundtables have been the ‘big boys’ in our asset class, a shift occurred this year, wherein the event attracted far more ‘Mom & Pop’ operators (owning 10 LLCommunities or less) than ever before.” SR (And) “The addition of Dr. David Funk, from Cornell University, was excellent and classy. Too bad more of the big operators were not there to listen!” KR. ‘That’s OK’; David will be repeating this attention – grabbing Manufactured Housing Demographics presentation to attendees at the ULI’s Manufactured Housing Communities Council (‘MHCC’) meeting in Washington, DC., on 13 October. To participate, phone Ken Lipschutz @ (248) 645-1077.

FYI. Dates of the 20th anniversary International Networking Roundtable are 14 – 16 September. Where? Well, that’s still TBA (to be announced). But, if you missed last week’s stellar event, own one or more LLCommunities, and want to be invited to next year’s Roundtable, phone the MHIndustry HOTLINE: (877) MFD-HSNG or 633- 4764.

II.

‘Under Construction’ aptly describes the present status of the 22nd annual ALLEN REPORT (a.k.a. ‘Who’s Who Among Landlease Community Portfolio Owners/operators Throughout North America!’). AR questionnaires were mailed to 650 known portfolio ‘players’ last week. If you own/operate five or more LLCommunities and or 500 rental homesites, YOU should received one of the questionnaires. If NOT, phone (317) 346-7156 immediately, and request same. If leaving a voicemail message, be sure to provide your name, address, and telephone number, for follow – up purposes. The 22nd annual ALLEN REPORT will initially be distributed with the January 2011 issue of the Allen Letter professional journal. FYI. The ALLEN REPORT retails for $250.00 per copy, but is FREE to subscribers to the above – referenced business newsletter. So, subscribe today for $134.95.

III.

Are YOU struggling to decide how to maneuver through the chattel (personal property) housing finance compliance and regulatory morass, especially where (property) owner – assisted (a.k.a. ‘captive finance’) lending is concerned? Well, there’s immediate assistance on the horizon, to that end; and maybe a national venue in January 2011.

In the first instance, if this is a timely and strategic personal or corporate concern, plan to be in Springfield, IL., on 21 October when the Illinois Manufactured Housing Association (‘IMHA’) holds a daylong Finance Seminar. Greg O’Berry, CEO of Hometown America, and in – coming chairman of the above MHI’s National Communities Council (‘NCC’), is keynote speaker and will address: ‘State of the Manufactured Housing Industry’. In addition, there’ll be presentations by the Small Business Administration; Reasons (& How) to launch a ‘captive finance’ home loan program at your property(ies); information on Title II finance; and, How to Use the popular ‘Ah Ha! & Uh Oh! Formulae’ worksheet, for ‘Estimating maximum recommended ‘affordable’ & ‘risky’ purchase prices for new & resale, privately – owned homes of any type, sited on realty owned fee simple with home, or leased!’ – as in a LLCommunity. To register, phone IMHA via (217) 528-3423.

Preliminary plans are being made to facilitate a National State of the Asset Class (‘NSAC’) caucus type Chattel Finance Summit, in Florida during January 2011. No details yet available, but format will likely build upon the program described in the previous paragraph, with the addition of ‘Gauging the Effects of Owner – assisted Chattel Financing of Homes On – site, relative to the Value and Real Estate Lending Worthiness of Landlease Communities’. Veteran MHIndustry & LLCommunity businessmen and women will recall two previous NSAC caucuses; one on – site in a LLCommunity in Tampa during February 2008; and, the following February (2009) at the RV/MH Heritage Foundation Hall of Fame, Library & Museum facility in Elkhart, IN. The first event attracted 100+/- LLCommunity owners/operators intent on taking control of their collective destiny in the face of plummeting manufactured housing shipments. The second event attracted 100+/- LLCommunity folk and HUD Code home manufacturers who spent a day discussing design requirements for what is now commonly known as Community Series Homes (‘CSH’) – two of these were on display at last week’s Networking Roundtable in Phoenix! – and three dozen Business Development Managers (‘BDM’) were named to increase HUD Code home sales throughout the asset class nationally. This time around? Simple! Make sense of the chattel finance scene as it ‘plays out’ in early 2011; and teach those present how to go about properly originating home loans on – site; keeping them in compliance; how to package loans For Sale when new capital is needed; etc. If YOU want to be kept abreast of this developing opportunity, respond directly to this blog posting, or phone the aforementioned MHIndustry HOTLINE.

IV

Another important FYI. If an NCC member (i.e. of MHI’s National Communities Council division), plan to be present at the institute’s annual meeting in Denver, CO. @ 26 – 28 September! Among other reasons, you’ll learn of plans, once MHI’s budget is approved for 2011, to recruit and hire a new executive to administer the LLCommunities’ council! The NCC was launched in January 1996, has been served by at least four dedicated executives in the interim, but with none for the past year and a half. Be present for this historic step, in the soon to be 11 year history, of your advocacy body in Washington, DC. Haven’t become a direct member of the NCC yet? Phone Thayer Long @ (703) 558-0678.